Hey Parkerrrrr!Golly, it's been a while, hasn't it? I hope you and yours have been healthy and happy! I wish I could say the same for all of us. We birdies have been doing mostly alright, but to be honest with everyone, mother has been hit hard with depression, which is why we've been so inactive and why we birdies haven't been getting as much attention as we used to. Mother's kept quiet about her condition with most people she knows, just to keep things as cheerful as possible. But I guess that's not how life works, is it? Everyone has their ups and downs. And that's normal, natural and actually healthy. And mother shouldn't be ashamed anymore, so we hope everyone understands. So I sincerely am sorry about how my family and I seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth! It wasn't our intent, but that's how things go sometimes.

A lot has been going on in our lives. Mother quit her job because it was not a healthy environment. She had been sexually harassed by multiple people (though didn't tell the management about them all), and despite being one of the youngest people in her department, was pushed to her limits with the load of work she was given. It was all far too much, so she left. That was back in early January. She still hasn't applied anywhere else, but is hoping to build her strength back up to be able to get a job again.

To be entirely truthful, we birdies haven't been getting the same attention as we used to. Mother's working hard to change that, but it's a work in progress.

All five of us now reside in the livingroom where we get much more interaction with people and each other. None of us are ever let out with another bird though. This room is massive, and has two entryways, which mother is hoping to buy removable curtains for so she can cover them up and let us out in here. I haven't gotten much mommy and me time for a while, but since it's my hatchday today, I got let out in the bathroom once again and got to share an apple with mother! Yummm!

You've all been in our prayers and thoughts, and once again, I'm sorry for appearing then disappearing as much as I have. We're working on a change (: Hopefully I'll be keeping you all updated. Much love, Spirit xx ♥

Bring-bringHello, Parker here! Hi, Parker, it's me, BonBon! I just called to tell you that Spot picture is not finished yet! Oh and by the way, Our mom promises that stuff too, and then does it when we're not looking!Hehehe! See you later, sweety! Luv, BonBon♥

Bring-bringHello, Oz here! Hi, Oz, is Parker available? Sure, I'll get him.PARKER, IT'S FOR YOU! Hi, Parker here! Wait a minute, my ears are still ringing! Why does Oz scream like that? I think it's cause she's a too!Hahaha! By the way, you can tell her that her behavior, sticking her burr up like that was not at all ladylike! Anyway I'm glad you came and told me about your mom. I will pray for her, and I hope she heals quickly and withour surgery! By the way, ask her if it's a disc or what. If she's supposed to have back surgery, tell her to check out the laser surgery, it's less invasive and you recover a lot faster!! Anyway, I hope you liked the picture! Wait til you see Spot's picture!Heheh!! Talk to you later, sweety, MMMMMMMMmph! Luv, BonBon♥

Bring-bringHello, Oz here! Hi, Oz, is Parker available? Yes, I'll get him. PARKER!PARKER! TELEPHONE! Oz puts the phone down and BonBon here's a breathless Parker pick up the phone. Hello? Hi Parker, it's BonBon. Mom got our picture done! It shows us practically buried in clovers from when we picked clovers at the KB the other day!Hehehe!!! I hope your mom's doing better, ours is a little better. These clovers are great, cause if Spot's hunting for us we can duck down and he'll never see us!Hehehe!!! I'll be at the KB early tomorrow so I can see the St. Patricks day parade! Why don't I have Spot pick you and your flock over and we can have a party? Let me know! Luv, BonBon♥

The Birdcycles up to Parker's house and runs up to the door! Oz answers the bell and the Bird holds up a letter addressed to their mom! Oz says thank you, but the Bird is rapidly pedaling down the street! Oz give the letter to her mom. She opens it and reads, Thank you for letting BonBon stay at your house for a week with Parker. They had a greyt time, especially chick sitting at the KB! We are all still praying for you and hope you're all better soon! Love, mama Rea♥ PS. I'm trying to make a St. Paddy's Day picture of BonBon and Parker!

Spot and BonBonknock on the door to Parkers house! He opens the door and grins at BonBon. You look pretty enough to eat in that sundress! Spot says, save it for later, we're late. Let's go say bye to your mom. They go in and give Parker's mom a hug and a cheeky kiss. Then Spot prays for her. BonBon says, don't worry about Parker! We'll have a greyt time at my house this week! Bye Bye! Luv, Spot, BonBon, and Parker♥ Parker throws his pack in the back of the shuttle and off they go!

Bring bring!Hello, Parker here! Parker this is Spot. I'm calling to let you know that I will be glad to swing down and get you for the Milonga! You're note solved a mystery here! BonBon got your note and dived straight into her closet! Seems she's trying to find something to wear! (She wants to go shopping, but she has'nt even worn the clothes she got in Paris yet! Girls!) We are already praying for your mom. We are very sorry about her pain, and hope she is better soon! Tell her to get two roll pillows and put one under her waist(when she's on her side) and the other between her knees(slightly below the knee) to help take pressure off her feet and back. Also, make sure her neck is properly supported! Meanwhile we will intervene with prayer for her! (BonBon just poked out of her closet to ask me,again, what do you think of this dress, Spot? I have to go! See you Saturday! Luv, Spot and BonBon♥ PS. Mom says come on over and stay with us! Our cages are heated with a heating pad between them, and mom puts the space heater on toward our bird gyms so we won't freeze!

Bring,Bring!Hello, Oz here! Oh, hi Oz is Parker around? I'll get him. Parker here! Parker, this is BonBon. I've been waiting for you to call me to invite me to the Valentine's Milonga! If I don't hear soon, I'll just go with Spot and be a bachlorette! Call me! Luv, BonBon♥ PS. I hope your mom is better!Our's is still sick!

Hi Parker..Sorry your Mom is suffering so...hope she gets relief sometime soon....waiting til the end of Feb. doesn't quite seem fair, or soon enough! Give her hugs and kisses from us to help her feel better...

Hi Parker--We hear your Mom has a big birthday coming up....but no one here believes it! She doesn't look a day over 30!

We've been so busy at the Kissing Booth! You should come over and play....tonight is Freeze tag...unless you're being chased by a snow monster...then you don't have to freeze...hee hee...

We heard the Midwest got slammed...funny story...Mom T just started a new job...they gave her a phone number to call to see if weather was causing a closing or late opening. She called it Monday morning...they said 2 hour delay. She went to work 2 hours late and everyone was there already. Turned out they had given her the number of the office IN OHIO!!! Big oops.

Today Mom locked herself out of the house! She keeps a key near the back door, but there was snow between the front door and the back door...but guess what! Mom didn't get her feet wet cuz the snow was frozen and she walked pretty much over the top of it!

Hi ParkerGood to see you, buddy! That party room is so much fun! I think we all had a blast in there! It's go cart day again at the castle! Today we will race each other, then see if we can maybe have a contest to make a new model of a go cart. There are blocks of wood, tires, and lots of things to play with at the track when we are done riding. Mom was a little worried today. She had to go to the museum, which is about a half hour drive. The freezing rain is falling, as predicted. For a change the guessers were right on target with the times. They said it would start late morning and continue to early afternoon. It took forever to drive, but she got home safely. What's really funny is it was a bunch of PreK kids. Mom had an 'older' group, which meant they were 4. They should only schedule the little ones for 30 to 45 minutes, but these were scheduled for an hour tour. Herding cats, anyone? Cats with the attention span of goldfish, that is... Other than that, there's nothing new. I hope you are having a great day and getting lots of cuddles and scritches. Hugs, King Peppino

Hey Parker and guys !Kallie, Dixie, Cookie and the ninjas want to thank everybird for coming by to congratulate us on being your BOTD ! We're honored by your presence and hope some of you took the time to leave some guesses on this week's list !

Dear ParkerI meant to ask you if we were going to the Milonga tonight, but after all our adventures in the Amazon, and taking care of Spot and mom, I fell asleep right after dinner! Maybe we can go to the KB tomorrow and have some fun! By the way, did you tell your mom how brave you were in the fight against the poachers? I thought you were incredible!Hehee!!! Luv, BonBon♥ PS. Spot here, don't worry about me, I got slapped by the poacher! My wing is bruised, but the poacher lost his eyebrow!Hahahaha!!!

Spot pulls up to the house inthe Gallilao, BB's small shuttle. He goes up to the door and knocks. Parker opens it immediately! I was worried cause you were late! says Parker. Yeah, let's go say by by to your mom and get going or BonBon will kill me! Spot politely says to Parker's mom, don't worry, our mom's got dinner ready for us and after the fireworks, we will all go to the KB for Chipper's party and fireworks! Then we're going to the castle for more fireworks and Peppino's coronation! We'll all have a good time, and I'll bring Parker home on Sunday evening! By for now! Parker kisses his mom on the cheek and says, Happy New Year! They both run out the door with Parker carrying his duffle bag filled with cloths for the weekend! Parker's mom watches from the door and smiles. They grow up so fast! Oh, well, at least BonBon is from a good family! The shuttle takes off and heads over to the Hen House.

Dear ParkerWe're so eggsited to have you come on New Year's Eve and stay for the weekend! We can watch the fireworks over here and then go to the KB! then we can go to the castle for the coronation and stuff there! Bring your footie PJ's and Spot will bring us sleeping bags for eggstra warmth! There will be a light supper at my house, and snacks while we watch the fireworks! Spot will pick you up about 6PM! Tell the rest of your flock and your mom HAPPY HEW YEAR from us! Luv, BonBon♥

Dear ParkerMom said she'd love for you to come and stay for the weekend! I even helped in cleaning up the house! Tomorrow, she's going to wash the windows so we can see the fireworks better! Also, we will be spending some time at the castle for Peppino's coronation party and the KB for fun and games on Saturday and Sunday! I'm looking forward to your visit! Luv, BonBon♥ PS. Spot here, sorry I pushed you off the perch! Poppa Sky said I should apologise cause you are a very fine budgie! I promise I'll be good from now on!

Hi ParkerPaddy Cake here> i have decided i now love Boo Boo and am flying down to see her every second i have outside of my cage playtime. Piddy is not at all happy with this. Come to think of it Boo Boo isn't very pleased either.

Hi ParkerIt was greyt to see you at the Milonga last night! You know, you have a greyt voice! We sounded good together! And going to the KB sleep over was fun too!Hehee! It's so nice to cuddle up to someone on a cold winter's night! You'll have to forgive Spot for pushing you off the perch. He's overprotective! Thank goodnes that poppa Sky intervened! I came over to invite you to come to our house on New Year's Eve! We have the best view of the fireworks from our apartment, and we get to stay warm! Luv, BonBon♥

Hi ParkerThanks once more for your ongoing support. It's nearly the end of the month and we're still going strong with things to see and do here in Pittsburgh. Today we are starting what mom will call the Carnegie run. As you already know, Andrew Carnegie was good at giving away things after he accumulated his wealth. One of his most valuable and long lasting gifts is his gift of literacy to a largely blue collar immigrant crowd in his lifetime. He donated libraries to many of the small towns around Pittsburgh, as well as the great library connected to the museum/music hall complex in Oakland. Below are some of the other libraries, in pics 5 and 6, these are in Homestead (a mill town) and Homewood, where a lot of steel workers lived with their families. The third pic is the old library downtown, nestled among the older buildings off Grant Street. The third pic is a newly renovated Carnegie library, and the first two pics show the outside and one of the reading rooms inside the Oakland branch. We are very proud of the Carnegie Library system in our town. See you tomorrow! Hope you are having a great day. Hugs, Peppino

Dear ParkerTonight is the Milonga. I guess I'll have to go with Spot again! You did'nt ask me. Don't you like me? I like you! Is it just English bugie reticence? I got your Christmas wishes. Thank you very much! Well, I hope to see you sometime. (Heavy sigh) Luv, BonBon♥

Hi ParkerThanks for your votes daily. I can't be BOTM without your support. Today we are going to Phipps Conservatory, which is located in Schenley Park. I wanted to take you there for their Christmas show of lights in the outdoor garden as well as show some indoor spaces. Phipps is a gigantic Victorian greenhouse, with different rooms for different plants. There are the palm room, the fern room, the butterfly room, the orchid room, the desert room, the tropical rainforest room, etc. There are also some gorgeous indoor spaces that people use for weddings. Today though, we are looking at part of their Christmas flower and light show. The first 3 pics are outdoors in the gardens at Phipps. The fourth and fifth pics show 2 of the indoor spaces. I'll try to be back tomorrow with more pics of Phipps, or at least to wish a Merry Christmas to everybirdie. Be good, tonight is the night Santa Bird comes to call! Hugs, Peppino

Hi ParkerThanks for your vote every day! I love hearing from you. Today we are going to visit the National Aviary located right here in Pittsburgh. We will spend at least 2 days here, because it's one of mom's favorite spots. The 4th picture just shows the building, but it's when you get inside that it gets colorful and interesting. The thire picture shows lories, and twice a day they allow the public to enter their enclosure and offer them nectar. It's so neat to have the birds land on you and drink nectar from your container! The second pic shows part of the tropical forest area. Can you guess the bird? It's a pigeon! Isn't it gorgeous? The aviary has many habitats, and the penguin in the first picture is showing one of them. It's a temperate zone penguin, so it can live outdoors all year round here. The aviary has feeding times that people can watch with the penguins too. They have produced chicks last year and this year, as well. Tomorrow we'll see more of the aviary, its habitats, and learn a bit more about the birds housed there and their programs. See you then, hope you are having a great day! Hugs, Peppino

Hi ParkerHi, and thanks for your daily visits and votes! Today we are still downtown, very near the holiday square that we visited yesterday. The buildings and surrounding areas make up PPG Place. The skyscrapers are glass, and pretty impressive, but they have an ice skating rink set up outside right now in the plaza, you can see it with the tree up in my 5th pic. The 6th pic is without the tree, taken later in the winter. The 3rd and 4th pics show the buildings, and the first two pics show an interior space in the main building called the Wintergarden. It's a big, airy open space. Right now there are gingerbread houses in with the plants, but mom's pics are older. They decorate for Christmas every year, too. I hope you are having a great day, and hope to see you tomorrow! Hugs, Peppino

Hi ParkerThanks for your votes every day! I love hearing from you. Today we are in Market Square, in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh. Every Christmas season it turns into a Holiday Marketplace, with booths set up for buying locally made crafts and artworks, food booths and tables for the people brave enough to sit outside and eat, a house for Santa to stay in and see the children, and even a stage where locals can perform music, theater, and dance. It's a fun place to visit during the holidays, and it sure brightens up the downtown area for everyone. It has become a destination for some, along with decorated store windows, and the replica of the Vatican nativity scene on Steel Plaza. I hope you are having a great day and getting lots of love. Hugs, Peppino

Hi ParkerHOpe mom finds the right sized cage for Apache! Thanks for stopping by again! I appreciate each blog and vote, and of course, all the hugs, too. Today we're going to do everything Heinz! You may have noticed that Pittsburgh has some recurring names to things, Carnegie, Frick, Mellon, Heinz... So the Heinz family built the Heinz plant on the North Side of the city, and they made 57 varieties of things, including Heinz Ketchup. (They also gave PA a great senator, John Heinz, who passed away at a young age.) Anyway, they have given a lot back to the city, so going from the last new pics (5&6) to the first they are 2 shots of Heinz Chapel. This is a nondenominational church located on the University of Pittsburgh campus, very close to the Cathedral of Learning (and the museum). One of mom's nieces got married there, it's a very popular place for weddings. There are both exterior and interior views. The next 2 pics(3&4) are at Heinz field, the Great Hall. This is where the several Vince Lombardi trophies and super bowl rings, as well as lots of other Steeler memorabilia, are shown. It's like its own museum. The first 2 pics are the Heinz plant and the pickle pin! When mom was young, Heinz plant tours were popular for kids. Her class toured the plant, and each kid was given a pickle pin at the end of the tour. They must have given out millions of pickle pins in their time here. Today the plant is owned by DelMonte, and lots of the stuff isn't made here any more, but the building still stands. And we've seen Heinz Field and the Heinz History Museum already. So that's all things Heinz in our area! Thanks for reading, and hope you have a lovely day, and get lots of attention. BTW, did you see the parrots singing carols on the new newsletter? They are really fun to watch. Hugs, Peppino

Hi ParkerI hope mom can find the right sized cage, if it's too big, it just won't work! I'm in a pretty big cage, but it was already here from before. Mom probably would have chosen a smaller one for me, but I WIN! Thanks for your ongoing support! Today I posted one more pic of PennMac, the cheese counter! It is as popular as the meat counter, and always crowded. Next, while we are in the Strip District, we have to visit the Heinz History Center. It's in the heart of the Strip District, and houses Pittsburgh history, including a trolley. They have traveling exhibits there, too. They are doing a Heinz exhibit right now though, featuring Heinz ketchup and pickles, haha. The first pic is one of an evaluation of antiques they do at the history center each August. From what the people bring in to be assessed, they film 10 to 12 episodes of Hidden Treasures, a TV show kind of like Antiques Roadshow, but with all Pittsburghers and their stuff. Some of it is quite valuable. We probably should leave the Strip soon, so mom doesn't end up buying a lot of stuff. Some of the stores, like Wholey's fish market, are unique and wonderful to visit! See you tomorrow with another installment of Pittsburgh stuff. Hope you are having a great day! Hugs, Peppino

Hi ParkerIt's great to see you, Buddy! It's been a long time! Hope you are having a good time getting ready for Christmas, Parker. Say hi to the rest of the flock and your mom, too. Thank you for your daily visits and votes! Today we are visiting another area of Pittsburgh which used to be little known, but now is pretty much known to any tourist who comes here. It's the Strip District. No, people don't strip to go there, it's a strip along the Allegheny River very close to town. It used to be a large warehouse district where greengrocers, butchers, and other merchants went early in the day (think 3AM) to get fresh supplies for their stores. The public could also go there and shop. In mom's family, they went in the fall to get whole pigs for sausages and crates of grapes for wine. Over time, as more of the public went there to shop for goods, it became specialized into ethnic shopping areas. There were stores like the Pennsylvania Macaroni company, catering to Italians, Stamboolis, catering to near eastern groups, Greek and Asian markets, etc. Today, the strip has become more genteel, so to speak. There are no longer hucksters in the streets, and lots of the big warehouses are now art galleries, bars, dance clubs, or broken into groups of smaller shops, like the Pittsburgh Public Market. The oldest stores, like PennMac (Mom's favorite), Wholey's Fish market, and a few others are still up and thriving, but smaller markets, like the biscotti company are doing well too. They have even started sidewalk cafes in the strip for the summer trade. It retains some of its old flavor, though, which makes it still a great place to walk and shop. Have a wonderful day, don't forget to give out kissies for those scritches. Hugs, Peppino

Hi Parker!Tell your mom that if she loses a page just go to the calendar page on the profiles and scroll down. Then she can find all the numbers! Anyway, here is the number for the KB:163138 See you there! Luv, BonBon♥

Dear ParkerSorry I missed your hatchday! I've been busy helping mom get ready for Christmas! Drop by the KB one day and we can go ice skating together! I'm not very good at it cause I'm just learning, but I heard you skate well! Maybe you can help me learn. Spot is very good at it, but he keeps 'cracking the whip' with me, and I end up in a snow bank! See you soon! Luv, BonBon♥

REMINDER OF PRACTICE GAME AT THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS STADIUM ON THURSDAY NOVEMBER 13,2014 AT 7:00PM EASTERN TIME.SHOW YOUR TEAM SPIRIT AND SHOW UP FOR PRACTICE,IF YOU CAN'T GET THERE HAVE YOUR PARRONT DROP YOU OFF EARLY,LAST WEEK WE ONLY HAD THREE SHOW UP TO PRACTICE,ANGEL,PEPPER AND KALLIE! THEY ALL SHOWED THEIR TEAM SPIRIT!IF YOU WANT OUR TEAM TO STAND A CHANCE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS YEAR,YOU HAVE TO AT LEAST COME TO PRACTICE EACH WEEK! HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE TO SUPPORT YOUR TEAM ON THURSDAY! COACH DIXIE AND COACH JEDI

Hi Parker!Thank you for coming by on the 20th and remembering me. And thank you for voting me and my beautiful Weasley as your Birds of the Day on the 21st. We both really appreciate it! We love you guys! Hugs, Angel Jacob and Angel Weasley

BonBon mails her cardto Parker's mom on Monday. It arrives on Tuesday! Parker brings it to his mom and says, it's from BonBon! Parker goes back and forth from foot to foot waiting to hear what she said! Parker's mom first looks at the cute Halloween card with a pumpkin on the front! Inside, it says BOO!!! Then BonBon wrote underneath that, I had a wonderful time with Parker at the Milonga and spending the night. That was a delishous breakfast Sunday morning after church! I'd like to thank you for your gracious welcome to your home. You have raised a perfect gentlebird in Parker. I had a lovely time, and hope Parker can come stay at our house one day soon! Luv, BonBon♥ PS. Parker! I didn't know you were a pilot! Is that your very own plane? Wow!

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